The International Maritime Organization has condemned renewed attacks on civilian merchant vessels operating in the Black Sea and the Sea of Azov, warning that commercial shipping and seafarers must not become targets of geopolitical conflicts.

IMO Secretary-General Arsenio Dominguez issued the statement following a resurgence of attacks against international shipping in the region in recent days. He said the incidents formed part of a series of attacks over the past week involving civilian merchant ships.

The statement came as the IMO Council considered continuing threats to international shipping, along with the need to uphold navigational rights and freedoms. Dominguez stressed that risks facing shipping in the Black Sea and Sea of Azov should not be overlooked while international attention is focused on events in and around the Strait of Hormuz.

According to the Secretary-General, seafarers continue to face serious threats in several parts of the world. He condemned unwarranted attacks on civilian merchant vessels linked to geopolitical conflicts, regardless of where they occur.

Dominguez warned that such attacks place seafarers in danger, compromise navigational safety and disrupt global supply chains. He also said they undermine the principles on which international shipping depends.

The Secretary-General called on all parties involved in conflicts to avoid actions that could endanger innocent merchant shipping or cause harm to the marine environment. He urged those involved to comply with international law and ensure that seafarers are protected.

The IMO’s intervention places particular emphasis on the position of crews serving aboard internationally trading vessels in conflict-affected waters. Dominguez said seafarers should not become casualties of conflicts in which they are not participants and underlined that every seafarer is entitled to carry out their work in safe and secure conditions.

The statement did not identify the vessels involved, the parties responsible for the attacks, casualty figures or the extent of any damage. It focused instead on the broader obligation to protect civilian shipping, navigational freedoms, seafarers and the marine environment amid geopolitical tensions.